Talon Dardendrien

When her father was murdered, Talon took up the study of the blade to never feel powerless again. She dedicated her life to perfecting the art of sword fighting and protecting the weak. She admired Sabine, saw him as a friendly rival, and felt pity for Rash-Har and Orna’s ill fortune.

Entry 1:

Among the jousters in Duke Reubiv’s Tournament of Fall Folly, AOA -5040, was Ser Dardendrien’s 9-year-old daughter, Talon. The knights laughed (a cute jest, and very typical of Duke Reubiv to allow such a thing) until the girl knocked Goodfry Wilhelm, last year’s champion, out of the saddle in a single hit. She didn’t win the rest of her matches that tourney, but she managed to disarm the viscount in the fencing ring at the Duke's winter fete. Such a prodigy has not been seen in our lands before, and I am certain it will only be a matter of time before she attracts the unwanted attention of the King’s men.

Entry 2:

The South River Girl's Home was thought to have been set ablaze in an attempt to intimidate Headmistress Talon Dendarian. Many disagreed with her unorthodox schooling methods -- teaching young orphan women the art of swordplay -- and saw it as a crude army recruitment strategy, indoctrinating an impressionable generation into a war that many felt had ended. Her body was never recovered, nor was her famed sword of legend. They erected a shrine in her honor near the Crested Cliffs, where it is said she watches over the young girls of the great planes to this day.

Story of Nilwäith Rosewarden Unlocking Talon's Bloodline, 26 Calistril 16 AoA

A soft voice whispers through Naomi's head as she continues to move through the cave. At last, you return...quickly...come quickly! Naomi frowns, lowers her visor, and focuses her mind on the task to come. "Get ready everyone, something is attempting to make contact with me..." She turns her head to make sure everyone is ready...and finds herself alone in the dark. Behind her, a stone wall that had not been there seconds ago. Talon's blade is drawn in a smooth motion and Naomi reaches out with her people's senses trying to determine if what she was seeing was dangerous.
The voice calls out again, more insistently. Hurry...hurry...hurry... Whatever it may be, the cave covered it well. Not knowing what was summoning her, or how it was speaking in her mind, Naomi elects not to listen and to proceed slowly and carefully forward, the only direction to go. Naomi continues to follow the narrow path until finally, she sees the light at the end of the tunnel. The cavern opens, and she finds herself in the place she had seen only in her dreams -- Surrounded on all sides by mountains that reach into the sky is the grand stone building -- the sign posted on the gates reads "Dendarian School for Girls." The same gold-green moss creeps up the worn walls, and the air is sweet with the smell of flowering vines.
Naomi looks in awe at the school, she had never expected it to still be standing. As she walks up to the structure, the visions of the girls playing and practicing in the yard interpose themselves over the current, stark reality. "What has happened to this place..." Naomi breathes softly to herself. The courtyard foliage surrounding a dirty marble fountain can't seem to make up its mind what season to be; the trees look like fall, but the bushes are in full summer bloom. Approaching the fountain, it is not running but filled with semi-clear water, though a few spots are overgrown with pale blue algae. Atop the fountain sits a small gargoyle, wings spread, and Naomi feels the voice pressing into her consciousness. We walked here before, remember? You have to remember...
Indeed, even as the voice pushes her, Naomi can feel herself somewhere else, in a different time and place. Talon's hand was bigger than she pictured -- her own small, green hand was absolutely engulfed. The fountain scared her, but Talon said it watched over the doors, to keep us safe...Fearing that the voice might be affecting her, Naomi tries to focus her mind. "I have never been here. I am Naomi de Champlain..." And then her hand is green and she is being led by Talon herself. Her eyes drift to the fountain, she wasn't afraid... or was she...
She looks up from her momentary stupor only to find herself in the same courtyard, but what looked to be nearly 100 years in the future -- the fountain, now broken; the trees, now bare, the gargoyle...staring back at her, and then screeching. The gargoyle leaps and flies at the paladin, claws and teeth scratching and nicking her armor. Naomi allows the creature to find openings, only to exploit the creature's momentary lapses in defense to deliver far more powerful blows. Talon's blade slashes and bites into the creature until finally it falls low. Behind her visor, Naomi glowers. "I am Naomi de Champlain. I bear the Blade of Talon Dardendrien. I have come to lay it to rest beside its owner... I. Shall. Not. Be. Denied..." The school revealed to its true form, Naomi looks around once more.
The imposing stone doors, hearing her challenge, swing themselves open, inviting her further in. Naomi is shocked that it worked but decides not to focus on that point to her detriment. She heads in, keeping her shield before her and her senses as alert as possible. Entering carefully, she finds herself in the foyer of the school -- to the left, a statue she recognizes as Talon greets her -- to the right, benches. The room is bright as sunlight streams in, and strange red and blue flowers wiggle cheerfully from vases in various corners. Her head spins as the voice urges, once again, remember Too many girls who don't look like her are sitting on the benches. Some have horns and red skin; some with the features of animals; some, she recognizes as dwarven. All of them stare at her, and she stares back. Instinctively she reaches for Talon's hand but finds it gone. Of course, I'm not a baby anymore, I don't need her to hold my hand... but even as she thinks that, she feels lonely. One of the dwarven girls smiles at her--she returns with a frown and goes to stand in front of the statue. I want to go with you next time...
Naomi fights the vision, gritting her teeth and attempting to push the false images away... "I have never been here, I am not this child. I am Naomi de Champlain and I will not be toyed with!" In response, the windows fly open and freezing air howls inside -- it blows out the lit torches and the illusion crumbles away. Broken benches covered in dust; pillars cracked with time; the carpets, chewed on by generations of small creatures. Talon's statue too, is littered with cracks and dents. Why do you fight what we know is true? Talon... The voice wails mournfully in Naomi's head.
"I'm not Talon! I am Naomi de Champlain. I have traveled here to return the blade to Talon. You cannot deceive me, whoever you are. This place is long dead, and its corruption has begun to leech into the fields. You profane this pace by conjuring its soul against its will and insult Talon's legacy by making a play out of her school. Such acts have forced this confrontation and your reckoning is at hand." Naomi looks around with a mixture of fury and sadness before setting herself and attempting to continue moving forward.
The floor under her feet shakes and the wind howls and shrieks. You lie, you LIE! As if fueled by the voice’s anger, the statue of Talon shifts and cracks, coming to life. "Okay, fair enough. Next time I will be more specific..." Naomi murmurs as the statue of Talon comes to life. The statue charges at Naomi, stone blade clanging and crushing as it hacked wildly into the air, like a puppet on a string. Naomi grits her teeth and shores up her defenses before moving in to battle the statue blade to blade...The sounds of fighting echo through the empty room, but with Naomi’s final swing the statue crumbles to the ground in a heap of rubble. The fight with this statue had been harder fought and Naomi has sustained heavy wounds. Frowning, the black armored woman places a hand to her chest and channels her people's magic to help stem the flow of blood.
The wind dies down and the room calms, still and silent for just a moment. Two doors click open -- one to the east, and one to the north. Naomi sighs and takes a moment to appreciate the quiet. She focuses her will and reaches out the spirit of Talon's blade. "Alright. Think its time for some answers..." She chides softly. The blade sits resolutely in Naomi's hands, but something in it guides her feet east, toward the next door.
Naomi frowns at the blade. "No guidance this time? No explanation for the deaths?" Naomi places the blade down upon the statue of Talon and squats down so that she is level with it, much like the position a parent would take before having a heart to heart with a child. "I don't know if that's you in there, Talon. Or if you are some other spirit altogether, but something has happened in this place and I need to know what that is before I can help you. Your current legacy is one of early death and misery, and it seems to me that this shift in purpose started here. I am not your vessel, not your instrument upon this world. Nor are you truly mine to wield, you are the blade of Talon Dardendrien, and I cannot command you to show me. But, if you want to make it to Talon's side once more, I need more information, I need to understand this place..." Naomi pleads with the lump of magical steel, somehow not feeling nearly as silly about it as she suspected she would.
The blade quivers, turning itself to point east. "So I shouldn't take the north passage?" Naomi asks aloud of the sword, a slight edge to her words. A pause, and no response. "Not much for mutual discussion it seems." Naomi says grumpily, collecting the sword and turning to the east. "Throw me into a memory on your whim but when I have a question..." The woman grumbles as she heads to the east as indicated.
She opens the door and is greeted with the warm, inviting scent of food. A dining hall stretches in front of her -- tables piled high with all sorts of delicacies. Chicken roasted with rosemary and fingerling potatoes...ham hocks and green peas...buttery loaves of bread..in the middle is a white cake, decorated with strawberries and ribbons of pink frosting. "Stop... just stop. This place is dead. Your illusions have failed you twice now. I am not a lost little girl, who needs the comforting hand of Talon. Talon is dead, many of her descendants are dead, her students and their descendants are dead. You dress up a tomb with your magic and I am not fooled." Naomi says firmly.   Although her stomach grumbles at the sights and smells, Naomi knows better than to taste anything in this place. As she steps further in, visions of students and teachers fill the room, sitting at the seats, indulging in the feast. "A wedding -- can't you even imagine? I never thought we'd be invited to attend something so splendid..." she overhears two girls talking. "I know! And such a romantic story..." the other giggles. "Our headmistress really is a Knight in Shining Armor." Naomi feels her cheeks burn slightly, though out of embarrassment or anger, she couldn't say. The voice in her head echos, tinged with...jealousy? They are taking her away from us. She needs to stay. She told us she would protect us all, and that we would be safe! How can she do this... A hand sits heavily on Naomi's shoulder, and she spins to see an older, tired looking Talon smiling down. "You arn't hungry?" I won't ever eat again, if you leave. Talon laughs lightly. "You must eat, or I will be terribly sad." The warrior hesitates for a moment, then reaches down and unbuckles her sword. "I need you to keep this safe for me, and if you don't eat, how can you do that?" I don't want to keep this place safe for you, I want you to stay... The voice is mournful as the crowd leaves the room, and Naomi finds herself alone once again. All the food, save the cake, sits rotting on top of broken tables. Cobwebs cover the dark fireplace.
Naomi frowns. "Who is it that I am seeing, Talon? Who am I in these visions..." The black armored knight was becoming increasingly uneasy. She turns to the two northern doors and then to the one in the south. "Don't suppose you have an opinion..." Naomi asks of Talon's blade. If the blade has an opinion, it does not share it at this time. “Great, I was thinking north too…” Naomi says sardonically as she heads to the north. The door opens easily, and Naomi finds herself in a small corridor with dusty, mustard-colored carpet stairs leading to a second floor. On the north side of the room is another door. Next to the door where she enters is a door that leads back to the entrance foyer. 
Naomi heads upstairs, keeping alert, reaching the top flight, Naomi finds herself in another hallway full of tattered rugs and dusty decorations. To the east are two doors, and to the north, another stairway. "This place is a maze, Talon. How many people did you keep here?" Naomi points the blade out before her. "Any insights?" The blade tugs her hand slightly to the east. "Alright then..." Naomi heads east, through the door that most closely felt like it was the way the sword was pulling... Opening the northeast door, Naomi sees what must have been the dormitories. Rows of bunkbeds in various states of unkempt line the walls in orderly fashion. An old couch and coffee table sit near the middle of the room. In one corner is a long-forgotten game of cards; in the other, a small bookshelf. "It looks like everyone just got up and left. What happened here?" Naomi again murmurs to herself as she moves into the room to investigate. The shelf is lined with dusty titles that Naomi recognizes from her own youth -- various fairy tales, romance stories, mysteries, and several nonfiction titles on fighting and battle tactics. Nothing rare or shocking. Naomi exits the room and heads for the other eastern door. She puts her hand to turn the knob and finds that the door is very much locked. From behind her she hears the giggling of young girls.
A small group sits in various positions on the edges of the middle two bunk beds. “I heard a rumor that Lady Vernatia is sending out 5 more squires tomorrow.” “Five more, already? Didn’t the last five just leave?” “Yeah, but you know how she is…it’s all about results with her. Gosh, I hope I don’t get chosen. Did you ever get a letter back from Melory?” “Not yet. Lady Vernatia said to be patient. She said all we can do is wait and dig more holes.” “What do you think she’s looking for, anyway?” “Who knows…oh, lights out! We best get to bed, I don’t want to get in trouble!” “Yeah, you better be careful. Keep that holy tome under your pillow. I heard one of the older girls say Lady Vernatia used to have your bed.” There’s another fit of giggling as the girls fade away. After witnessing this, Naomi elects to do something she had not done in a long time. Focusing her will, she attempts to pull up the menu, trying to hone in on the name Lady Vernatia...A picture comes up—a regal looking middle aged woman with opulent green skin and deep aqua eyes. There’s hardly any information, only a few sentences. Vernatia Verdant. Headmistress of the Dardendrien School for Girls following the death of Talon Dardendrien.

Naomi flops on Vernatia’s old bed, taking a moment to bind her injuries and catch her breath. She focuses her breathing and allows herself a moment of peace after the chaos so far. Towards the end of the short rest she allows herself, she takes stock of the situation. “Alright, Naomi, seems like there is a powerful Fey who loved Talon. She aged herself to fool Talon into thinking she was mortal and kept trying to insert herself into the woman’s life. Eventually though, Talon fell in love with another and left, confusing Vernatia’s love for child-like affection. Being her favored student, Vernatia became the Headmaster of the School. However, she was still immortal and watched as all her students aged or left over time. But, even after this, she was still utterly in love and devoted to Talon. And so the Fey has remained here, always waiting for Talon to return to her…” Naomi recites aloud to herself before releasing a long sigh. “And in choosing to pursue Talon’s bloodline, it seems that Vernatia senses Talon’s aura around me and now assumes I am her long lost love, finally returned to her. An immortal Fey, who likely feels betrayed, lost, and scorned by those she loved. Will eventually realize that I am not Talon and react poorly, or she will not realize this and will demand that I stay with her forever, something I am unwilling to do.” Naomi’s face sets into a frown and she pulls out the book. “Let’s just hope that there some shreds of sanity left within the mind of this poor woman, whose love has twisted into obsession. It doesn’t matter if I’m not Talon, I have to do the right thing here. This school, the village, and Vernatia have all suffered enough..” With these final words, Naomi rises slowly to her feet, still exhausted and heads back the way she came, heading towards the stairs to the third floor. “I’m coming, Vernatia. Wherever you are…”   Trudging up the stairs and pushing open the oak door at the top, Nilwaith finds herself in what must have been Talon's quarters. Unlike the other rooms that had been shown in illusionary good condition, this one seemed to truly still be in the same condition as it had been when Talon was alive. Though the entire area was coated in dust, blooming roses sit in various pots decorating the room. A comfortable, plush bed is at the far end, and the room boasts a well-stocked bookshelf and a handsome mahogany desk. Naomi's frown only deepens. "Just as you left it, Talon... let's see what you were doing just prior to your departure..." Naomi says in a murmur to herself as she approaches the desk. The desk is neat, and the drawers are filled with various sketches of battle maneuvers Naomi recognized from her own training. On the desk is a slip of paper reading "A flat badge." Naomi smiles at the memories from her own training but is puzzled by the strange message. She picks up the scrap of paper and reads aloud slowly. "A flat badge? What could that mean?" Naomi then approaches the bookshelf, seeing if there was anything of note or anything that might be able to interpret the strange message. She finds books on combat theory, tactics, government, and the occasional gardening manual. One that doesn't seem to fit with the others is a piano book. Gathering the book, she opens it and sees it is a beginner's book to piano. on the first page is a picture of how to place your hands on the keys properly.   Confused, Naomi begins to scan through the book, occasionally looking up to ensure time was not accelerating once again...The book is quite short, and mostly full of beginning piano pieces. Naomi had not taken her piano lessons too seriously, but elects to make her way over to the piano in the room. She takes a look to see if anything had been kept in or around the piano before intending to take a seat. The keys are covered in dust and the piano is horribly out of tune. Sitting on top of the piano is a vase with 6 roses. Examining them more closely, Naomi takes another look at the front page. Really taking in the key positions... "Alright piano, you better hope this works or I'm going to find the mechanism inside of you by disemboweling you." Naomi hits the A flat key, then the B, then A, then D, then G, then E. As she strikes the keys she loud. Naomi makes a gesture to the piano as if to say *I've got my eyes on you* and then heads back to the door, checking if it now was unlocked.
The door is slightly ajar. Pushing it open, Naomi coughs as dust and dirt fly out -- this room was in much worse condition than the rest of the bedroom. Cobwebs covered each corner dirt littered the floor. On one end of the small space was a pile of dirty laundry, and a skeleton. On the other end was an assortment of weaponry. Naomi heads directly to the skeleon, looking over the body and the laundry underneath. "And just who are you, and why did someone take the time to sanctify this macabre scene... The dry bones offer no answer, but next to the figure is a flask, and a worn red book. Naomi picks up the book and flask, examining both in turn.

Opening the flask and smelling it, she recognizes the liquid inside to be a greater healing potion. Flipping through the book, she finds only the first few pages written on:

• Day 1: I have successfully sealed the beast that has caused our people so much grief. People will remember the name Kalim Kim for centuries, as the great hero who saved his people from a child-eating monster! I just hope they come and get me out of here soon...that monster is too powerful. This was the only way I could stay safe from her.
• Day 2: I'm beginning to think I have made a miscalculation. Perhaps I should have told the Chief I was leaving, instead of my brother. He was always jealous of me...perhaps he saw this as his chance to get rid of me. Well, as long as I'm here, that monster will also be stuck here, so I suppose that's good. Still, I wished at least for a better place to die. There's naught but laundry, a few rusted swords, and spiders in here.
• Day 3: I think I'll run out of rations tomorrow. I should have probably eaten less, but I figure, what's the point if I'm just going to die here anyway? This place will surely be my tomb. At least no more kids will be taken.
• Day 4: Exhausted. Dehydrated. I keep hearing her voice, but she can't get to me in here. Will anyone remember me?
• Day 5: I hear her all the time. How can I hear her in this space? Is it really her? She keeps calling for Talon. Talon has been dead for centuries. Am I the crazy one? The rest of the book is empty.

 Naomi decides to focus on the menu, searching now for Kalim Kim. She was not confident she would find anything but it was worth a try at least. She found only a single line: Kalim Kim, son of Mulgogi Fishing Outpost chief Sawyun Kim. Naomi scowls. "The son of a village chief comes here, hoping to stop the curse just as we have now. Only to die of starvation within its walls." Naomi comments to herself. "But then he says that as long as he is here that the monster... is he talking about Vernatia... would be stuck here too. But then children kept going missing so clearly he was wrong. What is going on here..." Naomi continues musing as she approaches the rusted blades. There are few blades of note, most not having withstood the test of time. A quiver of arrows made entirely of iron sit in one corner, looking in better condition than everything else. A crossbow sits not too far away. Naomi examines the bolts that look to be in better condition, noting the unusual decision to construct them entirely of iron. She also notes the condition of the crossbow, comparing it to the one she keeps on herself. Naomi picks up the heavy crossbow and the bolts. She had been carrying around the light crossbow for some time and never bothered to gather bolts for it, so this was a welcome surprise. She still was not sure why the bolts were made so strangely but she rationalized that the craftsman probably knew more than her about such things. Stowing them away she frowns at the room, still uncertain how the young man had intended to keep the monster here just by being here... and why he had failed in the end regardless. She heads to the door to go back downstairs, determining that she was unlikely to learn anything else here.
The floor near the door shows signs of what must have been a powerful magic circle. The door itself has no locks, and the cold iron pushes opens easily. The crypt smells of must and mold—and there, seated among a mound of thorny vines, Vernatia watches. 
“My love…you have at last retuned…” Vernatia whispers, and opens her arms, beckoning the paladin forward. Naomi removes her helmet and allows it to clatter to the ground. “You have waited long, Vernatia. What care have you taken of our school? What feats have our wards accomplished? What safety have we secured for the people that surround this great monument to our service?” Naomi speaks with a soft smile, tinged with the barest hints of the inner fire burning within her. “Vernatia, our most trusted student, what have you wrought in our absence?”
“I never cared for this school. Why should I have, when the one I cared about had left it?” Vernacia’s voice was measured, steady, unbetraying of any emotions she had. “I thought you cared about me, but you only cared about them. And they…..they never loved me.”
“Your words betray you, Vernatia. You separate yourself from my wards, you who were my best loved pupil. The small child whose hand I held as you passed by the fountain that instilled such fear within you. The girl who trained with me by the river. And the woman to whom I entrusted my life’s legacy.” Naomi, or perhaps more Talon this time, shakes her head sadly. “We all loved you, Vernatia, myself most of all. Why else would I trust you with all of this. Why else would I return after all of these years?”
“I was never a child!” Vernatia stands and raises her voice in anger. As she does, her entire visage shifts—graceful arms into long, spindly limbs that arched and jutted into unnatural angles; an emaciated, hollow face with coal-black eyes. “I was the Verdant Princess, stuck in the body of a mortal by slavers! But you never saw that…you never wanted to see that.”
“You were my daughter, Vernatia.” Talon says firmly. “And no matter what guise you clothe yourself in, you will always be my daughter.” Vernatia hisses, and lunges at her. “Then why did you leave me behind!?”
The lines blurred heavily between Naomi and Talon, the singular woman that stood before the lunging Fey beast seems almost shifting between forms. The duo note the danger, know that they could fight, draw steel and assault the creature. But Talon brings forward an empathy, a compassion into the mind of Naomi that the woman had been keeping buried. Inside their shared thoughts, Talon proposes a risk, all danger with almost no chance of reward. Inside this shared mental space, Naomi howls in rage, bitter and scared, a storm in the face of the implacable mountain of Talon's will. In the end, a single thought is silently transferred: *It is worth the risk... and more.* The mental tempest dies down, the entire spectacle taking place in the blink of an eye completely unseen by any that could not peer into the minds of Talon and Naomi. And then Talon turns to the lunging creature, opens her arms, and beckons Vernatia the same way the latter had when Talon and Naomi had first entered.
For a moment she hesitates, a single tear running down her deformed face. Then she shrieks and blinks into existence, right before Naomi’s face. With a crack of radiant light, she pulls forward a whip of radiant roses. Talon steps to the left and then blocks the next wild swing by the creature. "You have not been practicing your form, Vernatia. Watch your stance, you are overextending." Talon and Naomi remain light on their shared feet, keeping their guard up. Vernatia howls and wails as her whip of light cracks over Naomi’s head.
"Is this why you waited all this time, Vernatia? You have sat here, in your corruption, in your anger, to kill me upon my return?" Talon says, parrying the creature's wild strikes with her shield, keeping her blade still in its sheath. "And what will you do when I am dead, Vernatia? Will you weep over my corpse? Or will you hide away in your forest, pretending that this never happened? Will you lie to yourself until the end of all things?" Talon's voice calls upon the inherent power of Naomi's, lending power to her words that wash over the fey without effect but not without purpose. "I am here to hold you to account, Vernatia. You killed our wards, betrayed my trust, and failed yourself." Talon's voice softens for just a moment. "You cannot be held to account until you admit what you have done, my child." Blinded with insanity, the Verdant Princess raises a hand into the air. From below Naomi’s feet a whirlpool begins to swirl, pulling greedily at the paladin’s legs. Talon and Naomi stand firm, refusing to waver in the face of the Fey's madness. As the whirpool threatens to drag them both in, Naomi attempts to seize Vernatia. "You can't account if you drown, girl!"
As Vernatia teleports away, throwing spells that simply bounce off or are easily dodged by Talon and Naomi, the duo in one form begin slowly trudging towards her through the water. "Not. So. Fast. Vernatia. This lesson is far from over..." She releases another cry of anger and sprays a mist of poison in response. The duo in one form surges from the watery prison just in time to get cracked by a whip. "So it takes all this to land one blow, Vernatia? I cannot free you!" They open their arms once more. "ONLY THE TRUTH CAN FREE YOU! ADMIT TO WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! ATONE AND REPENT!" The Verdant Princess begins to glow and shake, and releases a shockwave of fire and radiant energy. It radiates through the room and dissipates as it hits the wall.
The two women in one form shelter their eyes from the shockwave and come up with minimal damage. "NO! You will not hide from this or from me! CONFESS! Come to me or we shall spend the rest of our days in this battle! I have died once, this body may fail but the spirit will live on. You will never be free, Vernatia. You CAN never be free until you free yourself! Stop your lies! Swallow your hatred! I am here, it is not too late."
The Verdant Princess screams and cries until her voice aches and rasps, and then, just as quickly, collapses into Naomi’s arms; the form shifts again as the Verdant Princess leaves, and only Vernatia remains. Talon gently strokes Vernatia's hair as she looks down upon the woman. "Ssshhhh... I'm here, Vernatia. Now, tell me everything."
“No one ever stayed, and then one day, they came no more.” Vernatia whispers “and I realized, my whole life I had always, always been alone.” Talon makes a tutting noise, chiding the woman softly. "These are surface thoughts, half truths to cover painful memories. Why did no one stay, my most beloved student?" 
“I had no patience for their insignificant lives that came and went with the blink of an eye.” Vernatia rests her head on Talon’s shoulder. “They broke…they always broke…”
“Was my life so insignificant, Vernatia? I may have returned by it is only by the grace of the woman you see before you.” Talon and Naomi shake their shared head, offering a sad smile. “So concerned were you with how quickly the candles burned that you disregarded how bright their flames were. Even worse, you broke their wicks before they ever got the chance.” Talon places a hand under Vernatia’s chin. “The school was empty, no one was coming. What did you do next, Vernatia?”
“I called to them…they were lonely too.” Vernatia lets silent tears fall as she closes her eyes. “…and one day…I saw her. Your granddaughter…” Inside the shared mind of Talon and Naomi A hazy image of an open field materializes slowly within the mental space now shared by the two egos. The space seems perfectly split into two: on one side stands Talon much as she appeared in the youthful days of her life. The ancient hero stands on green grass with rolling hills in the distance, a bubbling creek gurgles lazily nearby. Armored and with the ornate hilt of her blade sheathed at her side, she stares implacably over at the figure that stands opposite her. Standing in her ornate, black spiked rose armor with the helmet fully secured and visor down is Naomi. Where Talon stood tall, Naomi was hunched forward aggressively; where Talon’s blade was sheathed, Naomi’s blade was drawn and crackled with hateful furious energy.
“You know what comes next, Talon. The bones are not even buried, this creature whispered into the ears of children and then murdered them. It has no remorse, it does not care for its actions except for how it might make you upset. It is the deepest of evils and now it wishes to infect another realm. There is but one solution.” Naomi wills a vision of herself standing over the general of the Black Company slicing down with a corrupted and hateful looking version of Talon’s blade.
Talon’s might as well be as the visor of Naomi’s helm, for the ancient hero shows no emotion. “My students are my children and all of them deserve my compassion. Vernatia, the Verdant Princess, was the student who needed the most from me. In my love for her, perhaps I missed the dark seed within her. A mistake I will not ignore again, but I will not strike out at that which I do not yet understand.” Talon’s face turns soft for a moment. “In a way you are much like Vernatia. Powerful and wounded, lashing out at a world you feel has wronged you. Deciding that any who threaten your understanding of the world, your status quo, deserve to die. Your world, like Vernatia’s, is doomed to be empty and hallow.” Talon’s might as well be as the visor of Naomi’s helm, for the ancient hero shows no emotion. “My students are my children and all of them deserve my compassion. Vernatia, the Verdant Princess, was the student who needed the most from me. In my love for her, perhaps I missed the dark seed within her. A mistake I will not ignore again, but I will not strike out at that which I do not yet understand.” Talon’s face turns soft for a moment. “In a way you are much like Vernatia. Powerful and wounded, lashing out at a world you feel has wronged you. Deciding that any who threaten your understanding of the world, your status quo, deserve to die. Your world, like Vernatia’s, is doomed to be empty and hallow.” Back in the Tomb Talon grimaces suddenly and she seems in pain. She forces the feeling down and turns to Vernatia. “You must keep going, what… happened… next?”
“Angry…I was so angry…so I punished them…” Inside the shared mind Talon blocks to the left but takes a furious mailed fist to the gut as Naomi’s fury chips through at Vernatia’s words. Talon grimaces and looks to Vernatia. “Punished them?” 
“I wanted to steal from them, the way they had stolen from me…so I took what they love most, and I killed it.” Her lips twist into a cruel smile, and her words offer no excuses, or feelings of remorse.
Within the shared mental space, Talon tries to defend herself, rising up and reaching for her blade… only for the wraith of Naomi’s fury to sidestep Talon’s draw, slip in behind and drive a spiked elbow into Talon’s neck. The blow forces Talon to her knees and Naomi’s blade lightly brushes aside the hair at the nape of Talon’s neck. Talon’s eyes go wide as she barely maintains control of the shared form. “You killed the children… our students, my descendants? You killed them just to hurt their loved ones?”
“I killed them to punish you.” Vernatia’s grip on Naomi tightens. Naomi’s eyes flutter as she reasserts her control over the shared form. “And so you have, Vernatia. You have wounded Talon with your failure and your unforgivable malice. Your flowers turn to ash not because of this place but because of you. You have confessed your sins to us, they are many and grievous. Murder, Lust, Greed, and Treachery.” Naomi’s eyes dance with emerald fire as she returns Vernatia’s tight embrace. “If you have anything to say or remorse for your actions. I would speak now, lest the woman you loved will never hear them.”
“The woman I loved…is long dead. Or perhaps, the one I loved never existed to begin with.” Vernatia closes her eyes, teetering between lucidity and insanity. “…my only desire now is to return home, to my woods, far away from the cruelty of mortals.”
“Where you will once again kill mortals? Free to sing your songs of death to ensnare children? Free from any accountability?” Naomi shakes her head. “Talon may have loved you but I see nothing but evil in you, Vernatia. Why should you be allowed mercy?”
Vernatia rests her head on Naomi’s shoulder. “….mercy? No, I do not seek mercy, nor judgement. All I seek now, is release.” Inside the shared space of their minds, the wraith of Naomi’s fury raises its malevolent looking blade, intent on beheading Talon and severing the ancient hero’s influence. And then there is a sudden shriek of metal as the glowing blade of Talon’s sword punches through the wraith like a hot knife through butter. From her kneeled position, Talon has brought her own blade smoothly up and impaled Naomi’s wraith of rage. The ancient warrior rises to her feet and reasserts control.
“Escape. You wish for freedom from what you have done. To not have the feelings of a mortal, you want to return to your forest and regain your mantle unsullied with the knowledge of what you have done.” Talon looks down upon Vernatia as a mother would scold a disobeying child. “Naomi would grant you this, in her righteous fury she would smite you from this hell you have created for yourself. But I will not allow you to escape your actions in this way. I wonder which is the more merciful of the two of us in that way…” Vernatia’s nails dig into Naomi. “…do you mean to leave me here, locked up forever?”
“I mean for you to not escape the repercussions of your actions, Vernatia. Our wards deserved better from you, generations of trusting children deserved better. If you cannot accept this, then Vernatia is gone and only the Verdant Princess remains.” Talon sighs sadly, a single tear coming to her eye. “As I keep telling you, I am not what keeps you here. I cannot condemn or free you, Vernatia. You are stuck in your own madness.”
As the shared form of Talon and Naomi stare into the eyes of Vernatia, they see naught but the glittering coldness of the Verdant Princess within. On the grassy mental battlefield, Talon has risen to her feet. She tugs on her blade to pull it free… but finds it stuck fast. Looking back, the ancient hero finds that the wraith has grabbed hold of Talon’s shining blade, forcing it to stay inside its gut. “It is over, Talon. Time to let go.” Naomi’s wrath bubbles over, and her own blade copy of Talon’s sword swings free towards the stuck woman. The sword bites deep and the form is shared no more… “Sleep, Verdant Princess. Trouble mortals no more.” Naomi says firmly, summoning her will. “Aye, Captain.” The blade at her waist rips free of its sheath and flies at the beast laying in its surrendered pose in Naomi’s arms.
Vernatia’s eyes grow wide as she pulls back from Naomi and stares down at the blade piercing her stomach. Thick green blood begins to pool under her hands as she touches the wound in shock. “ah…this is…” her voice trails off, blood trickling from her mouth, down her chin. “…how disappointing…to die here…” Without fanfare, she sinks to the ground in a heap, her body beginning to dissolve and fade away. Using the last of her energy, she reaches an outstretched hand to Naomi, pleading, but death overtakes her quickly, and suddenly Naomi is alone, and Talon’s blade lays bare in the pool of blood.
Inside the mind of Naomi, her armored, wraithlike form stands alone. Talon’s broken body lies completely still, a long gash across the ancient hero’s throat. However, instead of blood, magma begins to spout in globular, oozing spatters that ignite the grass beneath her body. The fire spreads rapidly, scorching the grass and boiling the small creek. Naomi’s mental form seems immune to the flames, so to are the roses that suddenly begin to sprout from the flame scorched earth. Heels crunching down over flames and roses alike, Naomi approaches Talon’s body and kneels down to gather up the ancient hero’s glowing sword. Naomi lifts her visor and holds the two swords together, watching silently in her mind as they begin to warp and twist around each other until they become one. In an instant, Talon and Naomi’s blades are no more… they are reforged into something more… something different. As she ponders on this, a sudden presence rouses her from her focus on the new blade. Looking up, a single robed figure stands amidst the flames, gazing at her intently. Like Naomi, the figure seems impervious to the flames. As she squints to recognize the form, the being reveals well manicured and ringed hands, starting to slow clap. “Well done, my daughter. I shall expect even greater things of you…” And then Naomi jolts back into reality, standing alone in the tomb looking down at a pool of blood and the sword that lies in it.
From her body, a blinding light bursts forth as she feels a new surge of power course through her veins. Rather than being scared or self-conscious of the powerful light, as she was when she started this journey many months ago, Naomi seizes the light and allows it to fill her. The warmth wraps her and fills her soul to the very brim. As it dims and dissolves, Naomi sees a small, semi-translucent figure hovering over her sword, smiling gently.

  "Who are you?" Naomi manages to stammer out, she had expected Talon to appear not... whomever this was. “I am the Verdant Princess, reborn anew. You have purified my tainted soul, and saved these lands from the cruel grasp of my predecessor…” Her voice is light and musical. “Your will and determination have freed me from these mortal shackles, and so to repay your kindness, I will lend you my power. Together, we will become the blade that strikes down the wicked, and avenges those who would bring harm to the helpless.” With that, her essence sinks into Naomi’s blade, and disappears.
Naomi blinks, in complete confusion and shock. "I... but... how... then..." Then she decides that some things would only make sense as she carried along this path, and chose to not ask any questions until she was fully ready for their answers. Naomi seizes up the Verdant Blade and turns to head upstairs, lowering her visor as she does so. Heading up the stairs, the black armored half-elf felt full of power it was time to test out.